The general assembly declares that it is the policy of this state that:

(1) The owners of existing open space should have the opportunity for themselves, their heirs and assigns to preserve such land in its existing open condition, if it is their desire to do so, and if any or all of the benefits enumerated in § 67-5-1002 would accrue to the public thereby, and that the taxing or zoning powers of governmental entities in Tennessee should not be used to force unwise, unplanned or premature development of such land;
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 67-5-1003

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Owner: means the person holding title to the land. See Tennessee Code 67-5-1004
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, organization, association, or other legal entity. See Tennessee Code 67-5-1004
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(2) The preservation of open space is a public purpose necessary for sound, healthful, and well-planned urban development, that the economic development of urban and suburban areas can be enhanced by the preservation of such open space, and that public funds may be expended by the state or any municipality or county in the state for the purpose of preserving existing open space for one (1) or more of the reasons enumerated in this section; and
(3) No person may place more than one thousand five hundred (1,500) acres of land within any one (1) taxing jurisdiction under this part. For purposes of this maximum limit, ownership shall be attributed among multiple owners as follows: a person shall be deemed to have placed under the provisions of this part that percentage of the total acreage of any parcel classified under this part that equals the percentage of such person’s ownership interest in such parcel. If a parcel classified under this part is owned by a trust, partnership, corporation or other artificial entity, a person shall be deemed to have placed under this part that percentage of the total acreage of the parcel that equals the person’s percentage interest in the ownership or net earnings of the entity. Further, a parcel owned by an artificial entity shall be aggregated with parcels owned by other artificial entities having fifty percent (50%) or more common ownership or control, and together the parcels may not exceed the maximum acreage provided in this section. To the extent that a parcel of property is owned by a person who is disqualified under this subdivision (3), such property or portion thereof in which such person owns an interest shall be ineligible for classification under this part. If property is disqualified for use value classification solely as the result of these ownership attribution provisions, any rollback assessment due shall be limited to tax savings accruing after April 14, 1992. This subdivision (3) shall not operate to apply the maximum acreage limitation to an agricultural classification that the owner obtained prior to July 1, 1984.
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